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Licence renewals can be blocked if e-toll bills are not paid - report
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has warned that licence discs renewals can now be withheld from drivers who have not paid their e-toll bills. A Sanral spokesperson reportedly confirmed that the warning is true, but could not say whether the change is in effect.
Photo by kimi lee on Unsplash
BusinessTech reports that civil group Outa said that the warning was fear-mongering, stating that, if it were in effect, 80% of road users in the province would not be able to renew their vehicle licences.
Under current regulations outstanding #etolls is not an infringement + car licenses can NOT be withheld. Government aims to change this through the introduction of the new #AARTO amendments, which #OUTA believes are unconstitutional. OUTA is currently challenging new AARTO.
— OUTA (@OUTASA) March 7, 2021
RT pic.twitter.com/Z07Tg5e6Ka
However, a new set of penalties for the non-payment of tolls are coming along with the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act, which takes effect in July 2021.
Under the Aarto, a new demerit and penalties regime will come into effect, which will see motorists start out with a set number of points, losing them if they commit various traffic offences.
In previous drafts of the laws, failing to pay tolls, including e-tolls, would have seen drivers lose one demerit point and receive a fine. Amended laws removed the demerit point, but kept the fines.
According to the Democratic Alliance, as the laws currently stand, drivers face a R500 fine each time they pass under an e-toll gantry and do not pay – while other fees, such as administrative costs of sending fines, could see another R100 slapped on top of that.
Various group have warned that the Aarto may be used to force e-toll compliance, and have opposed the laws on this basis.
Regarding licence renewals, Sanral’s threat to withhold licence renewals has been sitting on its e-toll website since the “new e-toll dispensation” was announced in 2015.
